HBP-g-PEGDGE凝胶聚合物的制备及性能

以超支化大分子-扫帚形聚合物(HBP-NH2)和线型二环氧化物封端的聚乙二醇(PEGDGE,Mn=600,1000,2000)为原料,采用溶液法制备了一类HBP-g-PEGDGE(HPD)水凝胶。利用傅里叶变换红外光谱、核磁共振氢谱、紫外光谱和扫描电镜等方法对产物的结构进行了表征,并对其溶胀、热稳定、流变和堵水性能进行了评价。结果表明,HPD水凝胶具有三维空间立体网状结构,且孔径随着聚乙二醇相对分子质量的增大逐渐增大。对于长链PEGDGE,较低温度、酸性pH和在没有盐的情况下均可获得较高的平衡溶胀比,水凝胶在温度为10℃~60℃、pH值为2~12范围内,表现出良好的溶胀-收缩可逆性。凝胶的热稳定性较好,随着聚乙二醇相对分子质量的增大而增强;表现出典型的弹性行为,随着聚乙二醇相对分子质量的增加,储能模量和损耗模量降低;其封堵率达到99%,封堵效果良好。

利用基因组标记和机器学习算法对中国牛品种的分类准确性研究

品种分类是畜禽品种遗传资源保护和利用的基础,传统分类方法主要依赖于体型外貌特征判断,但因分类指标不易量化,故难以区分相似度较高的品种。机器学习算法在利用基因组信息进行品种分类方面显示出独特优势。为了探索最适合于中国牛品种的分类方法,本研究使用7个地方品种共213头牛的基因组SNP数据,对比了F_(ST)值排序筛选、mRMR、Relief-F三种SNP选择方法和随机森林(Random Forest,RF)、支持向量机(Support Vector Machine,SVM)、朴素贝叶斯(Naive Byes,NB)三种不同机器学习算法对品种分类准确性的影响。结果表明:1)使用F_(ST)方法筛选1500个以上SNP,或使用mRMR算法筛选1000个以上SNP,SVM分类算法可以达到99.47%以上的分类准确率;2)分类效果最好的算法是SVM算法,其次是NB算法,而最好的SNP选择方法是F_(ST)和mRMR算法,其次是Relief-F;3)品种错误归类情况常出现在相似性较高的品种间。本研究显示机器学习分类模型结合基因组数据是对牛地方品种鉴别的有效方法,为我国牛品种的快速准确分类提供了技术依据。

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue over MIL-100(Fe)/GO composites: a performance and kinetic study

Adsorption coupled with photocatalytic degradation is proposed to fulfill the removal and thorough elimination of organic dyes.Herein,we report a facile hydrothermal synthesis of MIL-100(Fe)/GO photocatalysts.The adsorption and photocatalytic degradation process of methylene blue(MB)on MIL‐100(Fe)/GO composites were systematically studied from performance and kinetic perspectives.A possible adsorption‐photocatalytic degradation mechanism is proposed.The optimized 1M8G composite achieves 95%MB removal(60.8 mg/g)in 210 min and displays well recyclability over ten cycles.The obtained MB adsorption and degradation results are well fitted onto Langmuir isotherm and pseudo‐second order kinetic model.This study shed light on the design of MOFs based composites for water treatment.

Effects of dense planting patterns on photosynthetic traits of different vertical layers and yield of wheat under different nitrogen rates

A two-year field experiment was conducted to measure the effects of densification methods on photosynthesis and yield of densely planted wheat.Inter-plant and inter-row distances were used to define ratefixed pattern(RR)and row-fixed pattern(RS)density treatments.Meanwhile,four nitrogen(N)rates(0,144,192,and 240 kg N ha-1,termed N0,N144,N192,and N240)were applied with three densities(225,292.5,and 360×10^(4)plants ha^(-1),termed D225,D292.5,and D360).The wheat canopy was clipped into three equal vertical layers(top,middle,and bottom layers),and their chlorophyll density(Ch D)and photosynthetically active radiation interception(FIPAR)were measured.Results showed that the response of Ch D and FIPAR to N rate,density,and pattern varied with different layers.N rate,density,and pattern had significant interaction effects on Ch D.The maximum values of whole-canopy Ch D in the two seasons appeared in N240 combined with D292.5 and D360 under RR,respectively.Across two growing seasons,FIPAR values of RR were higher than those of RS by 29.37%for the top layer and 5.68%for the middle layer,while lower than those of RS by 20.62%for the bottom layer on average.With a low N supply(N0),grain yield was not significantly affected by density for both patterns.At N240,increasing density significantly increased yield under RR,but D360 of RS significantly decreased yield by 3.72%and 9.00%versus D225 in two seasons,respectively.With an appropriate and sufficient N application,RR increased the yield of densely planted wheat more than RS.Additionally,the maximum yield in two seasons appeared in the combination of D360 with N144 or N192 rather than of D225 with N240 under both patterns,suggesting that dense planting combined with an appropriate N-reduction application is feasible to increase photosynthesis capacity and yield.

PRSS50-mediated inhibition of MKP3/ERK signaling is crucial for meiotic progression and sperm quality

Serine protease 50(PRSS50/TSP50)is highly expressed in spermatocytes.Our study investigated its role in testicular development and spermatogenesis.Initially,PRSS50 knockdown was observed to impair DNA synthesis in spermatocytes.To further explore this,we generated PRSS50 knockout(Prss50^(−/−))mice(Mus musculus),which exhibited abnormal spermatid nuclear compression and reduced male fertility.Furthermore,dysplastic seminiferous tubules and decreased sex hormones were observed in 4-week-old Prss50^(−/−)mice,accompanied by meiotic progression defects and increased apoptosis of spermatogenic cells.Mechanistic analysis indicated that PRSS50 deletion resulted in increased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2(ERK1/2)and elevated levels of MAP kinase phosphatase 3(MKP3),a specific ERK antagonist,potentially accounting for testicular dysplasia in adolescent Prss50−/−mice.Taken together,these findings suggest that PRSS50 plays an important role in testicular development and spermatogenesis,with the MKP3/ERK signaling pathway playing a significant role in this process.

Striking Stabilization Effect of Spinel Cobalt Oxide Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts in Neutral pH by Dual-Sites Iron Incorporation

Developing stable and efficient nonprecious-metal-based oxygen evolution catalysts in the neutral electrolyte is a challenging but essential goal for various electrochemical systems.Particularly,cobalt-based spinels have drawn a considerable amount of attention but most of them operate in alkali solutions.However,the frequently studied Co-Fe spinel system never exhibits appreciable stability in nonbasic conditions,not to mention attract further investigation on its key structural motif and transition states for activity loss.Herein,we report exceptional stable Co-Fe spinel oxygen evolution catalysts(~30%Fe is optimal)in a neutral electrolyte,owing to its unique metal ion arrangements in the crystal lattice.The introduced iron content enters both the octahedral and tetrahedral sites of the spinel as Fe^(2+)and Fe^(3+)(with Co ions having mixed distribution as well).Combining density functional theory calculations,we find that the introduction of Fe to Co_(3)O_(4)lowers the covalency of metal-oxygen bonds and can help suppress the oxidation of Co^(2+/3+)and 0^(2-).It implies that the Co-Fe spinel will have minor surface reconstruction and less lattice oxygen loss during the oxygen evolution reaction process in comparison with Co_(3)O_(4)and hence show much better stability.These findings suggest that there is still much chance for the spinel structures,especially using reasonable sublattices engineering via multimetal doping to develop advanced oxygen evolution catalysts.

The Effect of Blood Lipid Profiles on Chronic Kidney Disease in a Prospective Cohort:Based on a Regression Discontinuity Design

Objective Previous studies on the association between lipid profiles and chronic kidney disease(CKD)have yielded inconsistent results and no defined thresholds for blood lipids.Methods A prospective cohort study including 32,351 subjects who completed baseline and follow-up surveys over 5 years was conducted.Restricted cubic splines and Cox models were used to examine the association between the lipid profiles and CKD.A regression discontinuity design was used to determine the cutoff value of lipid profiles that was significantly associated with increased the risk of CKD.Results Over a median follow-up time of 2.2(0.5,4.2)years,648(2.00%)subjects developed CKD.The lipid profiles that were significantly and linearly related to CKD included total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C,whereas lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and LDL-C/HDL-C were nonlinearly correlated with CKD.TC,TG,TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C showed an upward jump at the cutoff value,increasing the risk of CKD by 0.90%,1.50%,2.30%,and 1.60%,respectively,whereas HDL-C showed a downward jump at the cutoff value,reducing this risk by 1.0%.Female and participants with dyslipidemia had a higher risk of CKD,while the cutoff values for the different characteristics of the population were different.Conclusion There was a significant association between lipid profiles and CKD in a prospective cohort from Northwest China,while TG,TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C showed a stronger risk association.The specific cutoff values of lipid profiles may provide a clinical reference for screening or diagnosing CKD risk.

YOLO-CRD:A Lightweight Model for the Detection of Rice Diseases in Natural Environments

Rice diseases can adversely affect both the yield and quality of rice crops,leading to the increased use of pesticides and environmental pollution.Accurate detection of rice diseases in natural environments is crucial for both operational efficiency and quality assurance.Deep learning-based disease identification technologies have shown promise in automatically discerning disease types.However,effectively extracting early disease features in natural environments remains a challenging problem.To address this issue,this study proposes the YOLO-CRD method.This research selected images of common rice diseases,primarily bakanae disease,bacterial brown spot,leaf rice fever,and dry tip nematode disease,from Tianjin Xiaozhan.The proposed YOLO-CRD model enhanced the YOLOv5s network architecture with a Convolutional Channel Attention Module,Spatial Pyramid Pooling Cross-Stage Partial Channel module,and Ghost module.The former module improves attention across image channels and spatial dimensions,the middle module enhances model generalization,and the latter module reduces model size.To validate the feasibility and robustness of this method,the detection model achieved the following metrics on the test set:mean average precision of 90.2%,accuracy of 90.4%,F1-score of 88.0,and GFLOPS of 18.4.for the specific diseases,the mean average precision scores were 85.8%for bakanae disease,93.5%for bacterial brown spot,94%for leaf rice fever,and 87.4%for dry tip nematode disease.Case studies and comparative analyses verified the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.These researchfind-ings can be applied to rice disease detection,laying the groundwork for the development of automated rice disease detection equipment.

Results of the virtual simulation teaching method on autonomous learning competencies of undergraduate nursing students

Background:With the continuous development of information technology,most universities use mobile teaching platforms for classroom teaching.With the help of the national virtual simulation experimental teaching project sharing platform,students can enhance self-directed learning through the virtual simulation operations of the project.Purpose:To explore the application of virtual simulation experiment in teaching the fundamentals of nursing practice based on the Platform of the National Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching Project during the COVID-19 pandemic analyze the impact of this teaching method on the autonomous learning ability of undergraduate nursing students.Methods:Convenience sampling was used to select 121 nursing undergraduates from Y University’s School of Nursing;the online teaching of fundamentals of nursing practice was conducted to the students.After taking the course,questionnaires were distributed to the undergraduate nursing students to collect their perceptions regarding the use of the virtual simulation experiment platform and autonomous learning competencies.Results:Most students expressed their preference for the virtual simulation teaching platform,and their satisfaction with the project evaluation was high 83.05%.They hoped to promote the application in future experimental teaching.Undergraduate nursing students believed that the virtual simulation teaching platform was conducive to cultivating clinical thinking ability,could stimulate learning interest,enhanced autonomous learning competencies.Conclusion:During the pandemic,the virtual simulation teaching platform for a lecture on in nursing education has achieved good results in both the aspects of teaching and student learning.Teachers efficiently used their training time and reduced their teaching burden.Moreover,the laboratory cost was also reduced.For undergraduate nursing students,the system was conducive to cultivating clinical thinking ability,stimulating their interest in learning,enhancing their learning and comprehension abilities and learning initiative.

Advances in nonpharmacologic interventions for operative puncture pain in children

Venipuncture is an indispensable nursing procedure for intravenous infusion,but it is also an invasive procedure that is highly resisted by hospitalised children due to pain or fear.Non-pharmacological interventions are widely used in clinical practice due to their low cost,low risk and simplicity.This article provides a review with the aim of providing a reference for the selection of optimal analgesic interventions in the future.

BanXiaXieXin decoction treating gastritis mice with drug-resistant Helicobacter pylori and its mechanism

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)is the main pathogen that causes a variety of upper digestive diseases.The drug resistance rate of H.pylori is increasingly higher,and the eradication rate is increasingly lower.The antimicrobial resistance of H.pylori is an urgent global problem.It has been confirmed that Banxia Xiexin decoction(BXXXT)demonstrates the effects of treating gastrointestinal diseases,inhibiting H.pylori and protecting gastric mucosa.The purpose of the present study is to further explore the therapeutic effects of BXXXT on drug-resistant H.pylori.AIM To confirm that BXXXT demonstrates therapeutical effects in vivo and in vitro on gastritis mice with drug-resistant H.pylori and explain its mechanism to provide an experimental basis for promoting the application of BXXXT.METHODS The aqueous extract of BXXXT was gained by water decocting method.The inhibitory effect of the aqueous extract on H.pylori was detected by dilution in vitro;drug-resistant H.pylori cells were used to build an acute gastritis model in vivo.Thereafter,the model mice were treated with the aqueous extract of BXXXT.The amount of H.pylori colonization,the repair of gastric mucosal damage,changes of inflammatory factors,apoptosis,etc.,were assessed.In terms of mechanism exploration,the main medicinal compositions of BXXXT aqueous extract and the synergistic bacteriostatic effects they had demonstrated were analyzed using mass spectrometry;the immune function of peripheral blood cells such as CD3+T and CD4+T of mice with gastritis before and after treatment with BXXXT aqueous extract was detected using a flow cytometry;the H.pylori transcriptome and proteome after treatment with BXXXT aqueous extract were detected.Differently expressed genes were screened and verification was performed thereon with knockout expression.RESULTS The minimum inhibitory concentration of BXXXT aqueous extract against H.pylori was 256-512μg/mL.A dose of 28 mg/kg BXXXT aqueous extract treatment produced better therapeutical effects than the standard triple therapy did;the BXXXT aqueous extract have at least 11 ingredients inhibiting H.pylori,including berberine,quercetin,baicalin,luteolin,gallic acid,rosmarinic acid,aloe emodin,etc.,of which berberine,aloe emodin,luteolin and gallic acid have a synergistic effect;BXXXT aqueous extract was found to stimulate the expressions of CD3+T and CD4+T and increase the number of CD4+T/CD8+T in gastritis mice;the detection of transcriptome and proteome,quantitative polymerase chain reaction,Western blotting and knockout verification revealed that the main targets of BXXXT aqueous extract are CFAs related to urea enzymes,and CagA,VacA,etc.CONCLUSION BXXXT aqueous extract could demonstrate good therapeutic effects on drug-resistance H.pylori in vitro and in vivo and its mechanism comes down to the synergistic or additional antibacterial effects of berberine,emodin and luteolin,the main components of the extract;the extract could activate the immune function and enhance bactericidal effects;BXXXT aqueous extract,with main targets of BXXXT aqueous extract related to urease,virulence factors,etc.,could reduce the urease and virulence of H.pylori,weaken its colonization,and reduce its inflammatory damage to the gastric mucosa.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 attenuates foodborne Bacillus cereus-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activity in bovine mammary epithelial cells by protecting intercellular tight junctions

Background:Bacillus cereus is an important pathogen that causes human food poisoning,specifically diarrhea and vomiting.B.cereus can also induce mastitis in dairy cows and has a strong survival ability in milk,as it cannot be inactivated by high-temperature short-time pasteurization.Therefore,B.cereus can enter the market through pasteurized milk and other dairy products,imposing enormous hidden dangers on food safety and human health.Results:In this study,B.cereus 2101(BC)was isolated from milk samples of cows with mastitis.BC grew rapidly with strong hemolysis,making it difficult to prevent mastitis and ensure food security.MAC-T cells were treated with BC and/or Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1(LGR-1).Pretreatment with LGR-1 protected the integrity of tight junctions and the expression of zonula occludens-1(ZO-1)and occludin destroyed by BC.Furthermore,LGR-1 pretreatment reduced the expression of NOD-like receptor family member pyrin domain-containing protein 3(NLRP3),caspase recruitment and activation domain(ASC),Caspase-1 p20,gasdermin D(GSDMD)p30,inflammatory factors(interleukin(IL)-1βand IL-18),and cell death induced by BC.Moreover,LGR-1 pretreatment reduced NLRP3 inflammasome activity and increased expressions of ZO-1 and occludin induced by lipopolysaccharides(LPS)+ATP stimulation.MAC-T cells were transfected with NLRP3 si RNA or MCC950 and/or treated with BC and/or LGR-1.NLRP3-si RNA transfection and MCC950 attenuated BC-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activity.Expression of inflammatory cytokines and cell death suggested that the inflammatory pathway might play an important role in the induction of the NLRP3 inflammasome by BC and the protection of LGR-1.Conclusions:These results suggest that LGR-1 might be a probiotic alternative to antibiotics and could be administered to prevent mastitis in dairy cows,thus ensuring food security.

早期糖尿病视网膜病变患者黄斑神经节细胞层厚度及视盘参数的变化

目的:使用Cirrus HD-OCT比较早期糖尿病视网膜病变患者和健康对照者之间的视盘参数、视盘周围视网膜神经纤维层(pRNFL)厚度和黄斑神经节细胞层(mGCL)厚度改变。方法:横断面比较研究。选取45例无糖尿病视网膜病变(NDR)、52例轻度非增殖期糖尿病视网膜病变(NPDR)及55例中度NPDR的2型糖尿病患者和64例年龄匹配的健康对照者纳入本研究。采集患者的空腹血糖、糖尿病病程、糖化血红蛋白及既往史。通过Cirrus HD-OCT测量视盘参数(即双眼RNFL厚度对称性百分比、盘沿面积、视盘面积、杯盘比、杯容积)、pRNFL厚度和mGCL厚度。组间比较采用单因素方差分析。结果:与健康对照组比较,NDR、轻度NPDR、中度NPDR组双眼RNFL厚度对称性百分比、盘沿面积明显降低,平均C/D、垂直C/D明显增加(均P<0.05)。与健康对照组比较,NDR、轻度NPDR、中度NPDR组患眼视盘周围各象限(上方、颞侧、下方、鼻侧)及平均RNFL厚度和黄斑(平均、最小、上方、颞上方、颞下方、下方、鼻上方、鼻下方)GCL厚度显著变薄(均P<0.05)。结论:与健康对照者相比,早期DR患者的双眼RNFL厚度对称性百分比、盘沿面积、pRNFL和mGCL厚度明显降低,而杯盘比显著增高。本研究结果支持DM导致内层视网膜神经退行性变化的说法,即使在无明显微血管病变的T2DM患者中。

Association between homologous recombination deficiency and outcomes with platinum and platinum-free chemotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer

Objective:The choice of chemotherapeutic regimen for triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC)remains controversial.Homologous recombination deficiency(HRD)has attracted increasing attention in informing chemotherapy treatment.This study was aimed at investigating the feasibility of HRD as a clinically actionable biomarker for platinum-containing and platinum-free therapy.Methods:Chinese patients with TNBC who received chemotherapy between May 1,2008 and March 31,2020 were retrospectively analyzed with a customized 3D-HRD panel.HRD positivity was defined by an HRD score≥30 or deleterious BRCA1/2 mutation.A total of 386 chemotherapy-treated patients with TNBC were screened from a surgical cohort(NCT01150513)and a metastatic cohort,and 189 patients with available clinical and tumor sequencing data were included.Results:In the entire cohort,49.2%(93/189)of patients were identified as HRD positive(40 with deleterious BRCA1/2 mutations and 53 with BRCA1/2 intact with an HRD score of≥30).In the first-line metastatic setting,platinum therapy was associated with longer median progression-free survival(mPFS)than platinum-free therapy[9.1 vs.3.0 months;hazard ratio(HR),0.43;95%confidence interval 0.22–0.84;P=0.01].Among HRD-positive patients,the mPFS was significantly longer in those treated with platinum rather than platinum-free therapy(13.6 vs.2.0 months;HR,0.11;P=0.001).Among patients administered a platinum-free regimen,HRD-negative patients showed a PFS significantly superior to that of HRD-positive patients(P=0.02;treatment-biomarker P-interaction=0.001).Similar results were observed in the BRCA1/2-intact subset.In the adjuvant setting,HRD-positive patients tended to benefit more from platinum chemotherapy than from platinum-free chemotherapy(P=0.05,P-interaction=0.02).Conclusions:HRD characterization may guide decision-making regarding the use of platinum treatment in patients with TNBC in both adjuvant and metastatic settings.

Network-pharmacology-based research on protective effects and underlying mechanism of Shuxin decoction against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury with diabetes

BACKGROUND Patients with diabetes mellitus are at higher risk of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury(MI/RI).Shuxin decoction(SXT)is a proven recipe modification from the classic herbal formula"Wu-tou-chi-shi-zhi-wan"according to the traditional Chinese medicine theory.It has been successfully used to alleviate secondary MI/RI in patients with diabetes mellitus in the clinical setting.However,the underlying mechanism is still unclear.AIM To further determine the mechanism of SXT in attenuating MI/RI associated with diabetes.METHODS This paper presents an ensemble model combining network pharmacology and biology.The Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database was accessed to select key components and potential targets of the SXT.In parallel,therapeutic targets associated with MI/RI in patients with diabetes were screened from various databases including Gene Expression Omnibus,DisGeNet,Genecards,Drugbank,OMIM,and PharmGKB.The potential targets of SXT and the therapeutic targets related to MI/RI in patients with diabetes were intersected and subjected to bioinformatics analysis using the Database for Annotation,Visualization and Integrated Discovery.The major results of bioinformatics analysis were subsequently validated by animal experiments.RESULTS According to the hypothesis derived from bioinformatics analysis,SXT could possibly ameliorate lipid metabolism disorders and exert anti-apoptotic effects in MI/RI associated with diabetes by reducing oxidized low density lipoprotein(LDL)and inhibiting the advanced glycation end products(AGE)-receptor for AGE(RAGE)signaling pathway.Subsequent animal experiments confirmed the hypothesis.The treatment with a dose of SXT(2.8 g/kg/d)resulted in a reduction in oxidized LDL,AGEs,and RAGE,and regulated the level of blood lipids.Besides,the expression of apoptosis-related proteins such as Bax and cleaved caspase 3 was down-regulated,whereas Bcl-2 expression was up-regulated.The findings indicated that SXT could inhibit myocardial apoptosis and improve cardiac function in MI/RI in diabetic rats.CONCLUSION This study indicated the active components and underlying molecular therapeutic mechanisms of SXT in MI/RI with diabetes.Moreover,animal experiments verified that SXT could regulate the level of blood lipids,alleviate cardiomyocyte apoptosis,and improve cardiac function through the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway.

Plastid phylogenomics and species discrimination in the“Chinese”clade of Roscoea(Zingiberaceae)

Roscoea is an alpine or subalpine genus from the pan-tropical family Zingiberaceae,which consists of two disjunct groups in geography,namely the"Chinese"clade and the"Himalayan"clade.Despite extensive research on the genus,Roscoea species remain poorly defined and relationships between these species are not well resolved.In this study,we used plastid genomes of nine species and one variety to resolve phylogenetic relationships within the"Chinese"clade of Roscoea and as DNA super barcodes for species discrimination.We found that Roscoea plastid genomes ranged in length from 163,063 to 163,796 bp,and encoded 113 genes,including 79 protein-coding genes,30 tRNA genes,four rRNA genes.In addition,expansion and contraction of the IR regions showed obvious infraspecifc conservatism and interspecific differentiation.Plastid phylogenomics revealed that species belonging to the"Chinese"clade of Roscoea can be divided into four distinct subclades.Furthermore,our analysis supported the independence of R.cautleoides var.pubescens,the recovery of Roscoea pubescens Z.Y.Zhu,and a close relationship between R.humeana and R.cautloides.When we used the plastid genome as a super barcode,we found that it possessed strong discriminatory power(90%)with high support values.Intergenic regions provided similar resolution,which was much better than that of protein-coding regions,hypervariable regions,and DNA universal barcodes.However,plastid genomes could not completely resolve Roscoea phylogeny or definitively discriminate species.These limitations are likely related to the complex history of Roscoea speciation,poorly defined species within the genus,and the maternal inheritance of plastid genomes.

Combined chemo-endocrine therapy as a potential new option for HR+/HER2−advanced breast cancer:a prospective study of fulvestrant plus oral vinorelbine

Objective:Endocrine therapy with fulvestrant has shown synergistic antitumor effects with some chemotherapy drugs in vitro.This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of fulvestrant with vinorelbine in patients with hormone receptor positive(HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative(HER2−)recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.Methods:Patients were intramuscularly administered fulvestrant 500 mg(day 1 per cycle for 28 days)and oral vinorelbine(60 mg/m2 on days 1,8,and 15 of each cycle).The primary endpoint was progression-free survival(PFS).Secondary endpoints included overall survival,objective response rate,disease control rate,duration of response,and safety.Results:A total of 38 patients with HR+/HER2−advanced breast cancer included in the study were followed up for a median time of 25.1 months.The overall median PFS was 9.86 months[95%confidence interval(CI)7.2-23.13],and the median PFS of the first-line and the second-line treatment population was 20.73 months(95%CI 9.82 to NR)and 4.27 months(95%CI 3.68 to NR),respectively.Most adverse events reported were of grade 1/2,and none were of grade 4/5.Conclusions:This is the first exploratory study of a fulvestrant and oral vinorelbine regimen in the treatment of HR+/HER2−recurrent and metastatic breast cancer.The combination chemo-endocrine therapy was efficacious,safe,and promising for patients with HR+/HER2−advanced breast cancer.

Combining Transcriptomics and Metabolomics to Uncover the Effects of High-Energy Lithium-Ion Beam Irradiation on Capsicum annuum L.

Hot pepper(Capsicum annuum L.)is consumed as one of the oldest domesticated crops all over the world.Although mutation breeding using radiation has been performed in hot peppers,little is known about the comparative analysis of mutagenic effects at the molecular level by ion beam irradiation.To comprehend the response mechanism of hot pepper to the ion beam,we used a mutant with favorable economic characteristics induced by lithium-ion beam irradiation to investigate the biological effects.The results indicated that the lithium-ion beam had a positive effect on important agronomic traits,particularly yield unit,but had a negligible effect on the photosynthetic rate of hot pepper,with a specific influence on chlorophyll b rather than chlorophyll a.By RNA-Seq analysis,671 up-regulated and 376 down-regulated genes were identified as differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between irradiated and unirradiated hot pepper.Based on GO and KEGG network analysis,the auxin metabolic process was the common pathway in these two networks.A total of 118 potential reactive oxygen species(ROS)scavenging genes and 262 signal transduction genes were identified,suggesting a balance between antioxidant enzymes and enhanced ROS transduction.The amounts of 15 metabolite,involved in GABA pathways,secondary metabolism,carbohydrate metabolism,shikimate pathways,TCA cycles,nitrogen metabolism,glycerol metabolism and acetate pathways,were significantly changed in the ion beam irradiated sample.These results highlighted that the enriched pathways could play important roles in response to ion beam irradiation in hot pepper plants.In summary,these data provide valuable information for future research on ion beam irradiation and genomic studies in hot pepper.

Wideband frequency-dependent dielectric properties of rat tissues exposed to low-intensity focused ultrasound in the microwave frequency range

Tissue dielectric properties can vary upon the incident of an acoustic wave.The goal of this study is to quantify this change due to the acoustoelectric effect(AE),and to obtain the frequency-dependent dielectric properties of tissues exposed to low-intensity focused ultrasound(LIFU).The dielectric properties of the blood,brain,chest muscle,heart,kidney,leg muscle,liver,lung,pancreas,and spleen of rats were measured by an open-ended coaxial probe method.The acoustic intensity of LIFU focus was 2.97 MPa(67.6 W/cm^(2)),3.95 MPa(120 W/cm^(2)),and 5.17 MPa(204 W/cm^(2)),respectively,and the measurement frequency band was 0.1–7.08 GHz.The measurement results show that with the LIFU modulation,the conductivity and dielectric constant decreased in the high-frequency band,and on the contrary,they increased in the lowfrequency band,and the larger the acoustic intensity was,the more obvious the phenomenon was.This work contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms by which ultrasound acts on the dielectric properties of biological tissues.It is expected that the findings from this study will provide a basis that the response of tissue to LIFU modulation can be monitored by noninvasive techniques such as microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging(MTI)and microwave imaging,present a new idea for improving the endogenous contrast between different biological tissues in MTI and acoustoelectric imaging,and possibly lead to the development of a new imaging method based on the relaxation time of tissue after LIFU modulation.

Tissue Culture of Calla Lily (Zantedeschia spreng.): An Updated Review on the Present Scenario and Future Prospects

The calla lily(Zantedeschia spreng.)is a bulbousflower native to the tropical regions of Africa.Calla lily has gained significant popularity in the international market owing to its intricate morphology and prolonged flowering duration.Despite such advantages,for two sub-groups of calla lily,known as group Zantedeschia and group Aestivae,there are challenges in terms of hybrid production due to the‘plastome-genome incompatibility’there-between.Tissue culture is a fundamental biotechnological tool used in gene editing research,with a focus on disease resistance andflower color in calla lily breeding programs.The present review provides a brief background on the history and development of the calla lily,as well as a comprehensive and critical summary of calla lily tissue culture research.The regeneration pathways for both group Zantedeschia and group Aestivae can be divided into de novo organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis.Both groups are capable of obtaining replants through such means.However,only some species in group Aestivae have been reported to be successful in the somatic embryogenesis pathway.In the present review,special attention was paid to the influence of explant types,plant growth regulators,and culture conditions on both de novo organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis in calla lily tissue culture.Ultimately,future research prospects were determined based on integrated analysis of recent progress in calla lily tissue culture research.